Night
by Dagmaris
Summary: Stuff like this only happens in the movies. Honestly, Ponyboy wishes it had stayed in the movies.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Ah, I am so excited for this story, guys. I am not a big fan of Twilight, but I have read the series, and I couldn't help but see parallels between the Quileutes and our favorite gang, so voila! A story to explore that. Review if you want, but I would love to hear from you and your ideas about the story. I respond to your reviews!**

 **With love,**

 **Dagmaris**

 **WayMayLay**

 **Chapter 1**

It had been a hard three months for the Curtis boys since their parents passed. A real hard three months. They had all had to adapt to a gaping hole in their lives that had once been filled with love, but it finally felt as though they might be doing it. They might be able to make it.

Sure, Darry and Ponyboy still fought and Soda had dropped out of school. And there was the occasional leak in the roof that they didn't have the money to fix, or they had the same leftovers every night for a week, but all things considered, they were doing pretty fine.

Darry had a decent job with the roofing, and Sodapop got to contribute some with his job at the DX. Pony's grades hadn't been so hot that first month and a half after it all happened, but midway through the second month he started to apply himself more; nothing was perfect, but they were trying. They were ok.

For the time…

 **XXXXXXXXX**

"Pony! Pony, you gotta wake up, you got school!", an obnoxiously loud Sodapop Curtis yelled to the mass of blankets that contained his slumbering brother. He grinned when all he got was a sleepy groan in response.

"Geez, Soda, its early," Pony grumbled.

"You wish. It's 6:30, so you got half an hour to get ready and get there," Soda said as he shoveled a fork full of chocolate cake into his mouth. Pony made another noncommittal noise in response to that and Soda decided his little brother needed a little more motivation to get out of bed this morning.

He put the cake on the bedside table and snuck to the other side of the room. He leaned down as if to whisper something in Pony's ear and then yelled, "PONYBOY!"

Pony jerked awake only to be attacked by wriggling fingers at his side as he fell into helpless laughter.

"Holler uncle!," Soda declared, fingers never ceasing.

"Never," Pony wheezed as he tried in vain to bat away the torturous fingers digging mercilessly into his ribs.

"So be it," Soda said and continued the relentless tickling. Ponyboy laughed helplessly hard.

From the kitchen, Darry sighed at his brothers' antics. He knew he'd have to break them up soon due to the single lamp in that room being in danger of being broken, but he would like to finish his coffee first.

The front door slammed open and Darry jumped, spilling coffee on his newspaper and one clean shirt.

"Hi howdy Curtises!," Two-Bit's cheerful voice chimed as he made his way to the fridge. Darry fumed.

"Jesus, Two-Bit, don't you know how to open a damn door, or, I don't know, _knock?_ ," Darry seethed as he shook his paper off and made his way to find a not-so-dirty shirt. Two-Bit looked confused for a moment until he saw the mess he had inadvertently made and he chuckled.

"Well gosh, Darry, it's not my fault you didn't know the coffee was supposed to go _in_ the cup," Two-Bit said amused as he served himself some chocolate cake and grabbed a beer.

Darry walked back into the kitchen as he pulled on another shirt. He gave another glare before he took the beer away from Two-Bit and put it back in fridge. Two-Bit grumbled a bit, but didn't protest.

Darry headed towards his brothers' room to get them moving faster.

"Pony, Soda, you're both gonna be late," he said sternly. There was once a time when Darry would have gone back there to join in on their rough housing, but those days were done. He had to be responsible; parental. It still hurt when he saw Soda's sad, but understand gaze, and even worse when it was paired with Pony's disappointed one. These days, all Darry seemed to do was disappoint Pony.

Soda jumped up good naturedly, though, as he grabbed his cake, and even Pony rolled out of bed with a grumble.

"Ah, Pone, it ain't so bad. One more week and you're out for a whole three months for summer. Then you can sleep 'til noon everyday if you wanna," Soda said as he ruffled Pony's hair. Darry chuckled.

"We'll see about that, little buddy," he said as he walked back into the kitchen to get his tools, but Pony was still smiling at the thought.

"Now Pony, I want you home for dinner, and Soda, you make sure I know if you're going out, you hear?," Darry called out as he tucked in his shirt and buckled his belt. He grabbed his tools and made his way toward the door, having to step around an engrossed Two-Bit who was watching Mickey from the floor.

"Yeah, ok Dare," Soda called back as he searched for his other shoe. Pony didn't answer from his place in the bathroom. He was seeing red.

' _Who does Darry think he is, telling me to be home for dinner on a Friday night, huh? Johnny and I were going to see a movie until he went and ruined it. He lets Soda go out, just fine, but I can't? He's probably going to make me do homework or something stupid like that. Well he can forget it. I have plans tonight and I'm not cancelling them this close to summer and if Darry don't like it, then he can go straight to hel-'_

"Pony?," Soda called softly from the doorway. Pony jumped, his thoughts ceasing and his heart racing. He met Soda's wide eyes in the bathroom mirror.

"Yeah?," Pony answered, only the slightest bit shaky. Soda swallowed.

"You, ok, buddy?," he asked, still soft. Pony was confused for a moment before he met his own gaze in the mirror.

His gray (green) eyes were glazed over and his face was flushed. He had a death grip on his tooth brush and his other hand gripped the door facing. He gulped before he loosened his grip on everything and turned around.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Darry just makes me mad sometimes, is all," Pony responded, and it was the truth…partially.

"Shoot Pone, I've seen ya angry before, but that…that was something else," Soda said unnerved, his eyes fixated on the door frame. Pony looked, too, to see what he was staring at. Barely noticeable, but still there, indentations were pressed into the frame in the exact place Pony's hand had been moments ago. Glory, he hadn't been that angry had he?

Soda looked like he wanted to say more, but the front door opened before he could.

"Stevie and Johnnycakes, just the hoods I've been waiting for!," Two-Bit called out joyfully. Soda rolled his eyes and went into the living room, probably to greet Steve and Johnny. Pony breathed out in relief.

He splashed some water on his face, hoping it would cool him off. He needed to cool off. He couldn't keep this up for much longer.

About a month ago, Pony had started to feel real strange. It didn't start out as much. A few headaches and a slight fever, but nothing major. Then, it started to get worse. Sometimes, his skin felt so hot he thought he could crack an egg on himself and fry it. Other times, he felt tremors start at the base of his spine and shake his very core, making him feel as though he would burst right out of his skin if they didn't stop.

The worst part, though, was the anger.

Ponyboy didn't have a temper, not like Dallas Winston or Tim Shepard did, but they were real hoods. Sure, Pony got annoyed, frustrated even, but it was real hard to make him angry. Johnny's parents were real good at it, and sometimes Darry, but over the past month he had felt rage like he had never felt before. It was over small stuff, too, like one of the guys drinking the last drop of milk or dropping one of his books mid sentence; stuff that shouldn't matter, but all of a sudden made Pony seethe. It scared him pretty bad.

Today was the first time someone from the gang had seen it, and Pony wanted to make sure it was the last. He needed to pull himself together. The last thing he wanted to do was worry his brothers over something stupid, like teenage hormones.

"Ponyboy, you coming or what?," Two-Bit called from the living room. Pony took one last look in the mirror and deemed himself normal enough to show himself.

"Yeah, I'm coming," he said as he grabbed his books off of the kitchen table. He greeted Johnny and grunted at Steve. Soda was there, so he had to show some recognition to the guy he sometimes couldn't stand.

"Then what are we waiting on? Let's go, kid," Steve snapped as clapped Soda on the shoulder and he made his way out the door. Pony was regretting even acknowledging his presence.

Johnny and Two-Bit walked out, leaving Pony to go last.

"Pony?," Soda called after him. Pony cursed in his head and turned.

"Yeah?"

Soda looked troubled for a moment before he shook it off and smiled.

"We'll try and talk Darry into letting you go out tonight, alright?"

Pony felt relief wash through him and he grinned at his older brother.

"Alright." He turned and walked out the door in a much better mood than he thought he would.

He missed Sodapop's worried frown when the door shut, just as he missed the eyes that had been watching him from the back gates of his home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Hey Steve?"

Steve grunted, half paying attention. He was working on his last car for the day, and he was exhausted. It had been a long day at school, too.

Also, Steve had a sneaky feeling Soda wanted to talk about the kid, and that was something he was very much not in the mood for. He had a date with Evie tonight and he didn't want to be annoyed before that happened. Glory knows that lately, she had been annoyed enough for the both of them.

"I'm worried about Ponyboy," Soda said, and Steve sighed, smudging his face with grease as he wiped it with the back of his hand.

Of course he was worried about the kid. Everyone in the gang was worried about the kid, but he had a feeling Soda didn't know that, so Steve decided to play it dumb.

"Oh yeah? And why's that?," Steve asked, maybe a bit too innocently, as he checked the oil one last time. Soda gave him one of those looks and Steve knew that he didn't fool his buddy.

"Come on, Steve. Have you been around him lately?"

"Unfortunately," Steve said as he closed the hood and went to wash his hands. Soda followed swiftly after him.

"Then you know something ain't right with him," Soda insisted. Steve washed off his hands, but didn't disagree. He knew something was wrong with the kid.

Steve and Pony had a strange relationship compared to the others in the gang. Steve wasn't stupid. He knew Ponyboy didn't care for him much, and why should he? Steve never really gave the kid a reason to like him, other than being Soda's best friend.

It wasn't that he hated Pony, though. Steve just didn't know what to do with him.

When he was four, Steve's mom had a baby. It was a sickly thing, born too early and all that, but Steve would never forget the first and last time he held his little brother. It had been in front of his tired mother and his worried father. He held the tiny, too still and quiet, child close.

His mother had smiled sadly and whispered, "Now Stevie, Brian is yours to protect. He's your little brother. You're gonna have to look after him, alright?"

"Alright momma," Steve had answered with all the seriousness of a child being handed that sort of responsibility. It had scared him at the time. He was still little himself, how was he supposed to protect a little brother? He knew he would try, though. He would try real hard.

It turned out that he would never have to. The baby never recovered from birth, and he died a month later. Steve's mother died, presumably from grief, before the year was up, and Steve's father had been a drunken bastard ever since.

When Steve was seven, he met Sodapop Curtis.

Soda was everything he wanted and more in a best friend, and they had clicked immediately. The only problem was that Soda had a little brother, Ponyboy.

Ponyboy, who was pale and quiet and small. Ponyboy, who was always getting into trouble and tagged along even though he was younger than them. Ponyboy, who painfully reminded Steve ofhe little brother he was meant to have that it hurt.

So, Steve made sure the kid never wanted to hang around. If he didn't go out, he wouldn't get hurt, and Steve wouldn't be responsible for him.

Despite Steve's efforts, though, something was wrong with Ponyboy now, and no one had a clue what it was.

He hadn't even really noticed until a week ago, and even then it had to be pointed out to him.

Two-Bit had just dropped everyone off at the school. Ponyboy had a freshman home room, so he separated from Steve, Johnny, and Two-Bit, leaving them to walk to their home room without him.

"Pony sure was quiet this morning," Johnny commented. He stated it like a fact, but Steve could hear the question behind it, as if he had been asking for confirmation of the observation.

"I s'pose he was," Two-Bit said absentmindedly as he winked at a blonde who walked past. Steve rolled his eyes.

"So what? Kid's always strange," Steve had said back, trying to brush off the conversation about Pony.

"I think he had a fever. Felt like I was sitting by a furnace back there," Johnny said a bit more forcefully, referring to the car ride to the school. Two-Bit finally gave Johnny his full attention.

"Well gosh Johnny, he may just be sick," Two-Bit said. Steve nodded in agreement.

Johnny gave them both a look that Bit straighten and Steve listen. Johnnycakes sure could be tuff when he wanted to.

"It's May," he said as he pushed open the homeroom door. The teacher wasn't there just yet. "You're saying his sick in May."

"I don't know Johnny Cade, I was just throwing it out there," Two-Bit said earnestly. Johnny shrunk at that.

"I know, I know it's just…," Johnny trailed off, averting his eyes and seeming more like the Johnny he had been since he had been jumped. His scar stood out under the florescent lights of the classroom.

"What is it?," Steve asked him, eager to end this conversation and also slightly curious. Johnny looked at him before sighing and leaning in closer, hunching into what he was saying as to what let the others in the room hear. Steve and Two-Bit leaned in closer to hear.

"A day or so ago, I went over to Pony's that afternoon. We were gonna go see a movie, you know?", Johnny took a steadying breath and continued.

"So I get there, and Pone's asleep on the couch. I didn't wake him up. I figured he was real tired if he was taking a nap," Steve nodded at that. The kid hated naps. He'd much rather be reading a book or watching sunsets, something weird like that.

"The movie didn't start for an hour, so I just turned on the TV and let him sleep. I was only there fifteen minutes when it happened." Two-Bit and Steve frowned. They didn't like where this story was headed.

"At first I thought he was just having another, you know, nightmare," Johnny said quietly. Steve and Two-Bit knew what that meant. The kid's nightmares were infamous amongst the gang.

"But it wasn't a nightmare," Two-Bit stated. Two could be a goof, but he wasn't stupid. He could put stuff together pretty quick. Johnny shrugged and shook his head.

"I don't know, man," he said, "maybe it was. Something wasn't right, though. He started jerking all around, but he didn't scream none. I went over to wake him up or something, and…", Johnny trailed over with a shaky breath.

"He flipped right into the floor, flopping like a damn fish or something. And then, glory I know how wild it sounds, but then h-his back broke or something," Johnny choked out. Steve and Two-Bit's eyes widened and they looked at each other, incredulous.

"Whaddya mean his 'back broke'?," Steve demanded harshly. Johnny glared at him.

"I don't know, man, it cracked or something. Real loud and all of a sudden Pony got real still. I thought, glory, I thought he was dead."

"And then what?," Two asked, looking a bit shook up. To be quite honest, Steve wasn't feeling so hot either.

"And then he just woke up, just like that. He was fine, didn't even seem to remember what happened and he wasn't even hurt none. I could've sworn, though, that something broke. I know what a break sounds like," Johnny said finally, seeming unsettled. Steve was pretty unsettled himself. Something wasn't right about this.

"D'ya tell Soda or Darry?," Two-Bit asked. Johnny shook his head.

"Nah, man. I thought I had imagined it after. And how do you talk about something like that?," Johnny asked. Steve and Two-Bit grudgingly agreed.

"Then why'd you tell us, Johnnycakes?," Steve asked.

"I figured if somebody else knew, they could help me keep an eye on him. You know, just watch him a while, make sure nothing's wrong," Johnny stated, but it seemed to be a question. He wanted to make sure the other boys were in.

Two-Bit nodded.

"Sure, Johnny. We can watch the kid a bit better, can't we Stevie boy?," Two-Bit joked, nudging his scowling friend.

"As if we didn't already," Steve grumbled, turning around as the teacher walked in. It wasn't a protest, though. He would watch the kid, if not for Soda's sake, then his own.

Now, though, faced with Soda's worry about his kid brother, Steve didn't know what to say. Should he tell Soda the story Johnny had told him? He wasn't sure Soda would believe it. Hell, he hardly believed it, but Johnny wasn't a liar and he didn't exaggerate. There had to be some truth to what happened. Did Soda need to know, though?

He looked into his friends brown eyes, swimming with worry and still haunted from the accident three months ago, and Steve decided. He wouldn't tell Soda. At least not yet.

"I think he's fine, Soda. He's fourteen for chrissakes, it's about time he starts acting a little strange, don't ya think?," Steve told his best friend good naturedly as he clapped him on the back and went to get a Pepsi from the case.

Soda's brow furrowed for a moment.

"Yeah, I guess," he said, unconvinced, but accepting of the answer. Just then, his boss' voice sounded from the counter.

"Curtis, phone!," he called, and Soda's mood perked instantly. It was probably Sandy.

Steve chuckled to himself as he sipped at his Pepsi, happy his friend had dropped the subject of the youngest gang member. Anymore questioning and he would have broke down and told Soda everything.

Steve was just thinking about where he was going to take Evie that night, when Soda ran back outside like someone was chasing him. Steve tensed, thinking it was some Soc, but when Soda spotted him, he knew it was something else.

Steve ran up to his buddy and looked him in the eye.

"Soda, buddy, what is it?," he asked, putting his hands on Soda's shoulders to get him to focus. Soda looked confused.

"That was Darry," he said slowly. Steve felt worry gnaw at his insides. Darry never called Soda at work.

"Yeah? What did he say?," Steve asked. Soda got an incredulous look on his face as hie finally met Steve's eyes.

"Someone broke into our house," he said finally. Steve was almost relieved. _Well that could have been worse_ , he thought. It was still bad, but it wasn't what he was expecting.

"And Ponyboy is missing."

Ah, yes, there it was.

 **AN: Guys, my computer is so messed up at the moment, so the mistakes in this chapter are embarrassing, but it wouldn't let me fix them. I'm so sorry!**

 **April (Guest) and Teeloganroryflan: Thank you both for reviewing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much.**

 **XXxAngel-With-A-ShotgunxXx: Yes, this idea is something that I haven't seen before which is why I decided to post it. I hope it's not too cheesy with the Twilight elements (I know that turns some people off), but I am using it as an excuse to explore characters that I have been dying to explore, including Ponyboy. As for the rest of the gang and their lack of symptoms…well, there is something to be said about that ;). Thank you for your review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Wow, you guys! I got seven reviews within the first day of posting only my second chapter! That is so cool. I'm not a fan fiction writer that bases their writing off of how many reviews they get, but it is always nice to know when your work is appreciated.**

 **Guest: I'm so glad you're enjoying it!**

 **Dorianimeyaoilover: I am also struggling with the issue of putting vampires in this story. I just don't know. If I do, they will be a major plot point, but they definitely won't Twilight-verse vampires. I may take an original spin and make my own species, as I am going to do with the wolves as well. I am drawing the supernatural theme from Twilight, but I am still going to mix it up a bit. I hope you continue to enjoy and thank you for reviewing!**

 **Teeloganroryflan: I am so glad you like it! And as far as Ponyboy goes, I wouldn't worry so much. Wherever he is, I think he will be able to handle himself ;)**

 **xXx-Angel-With-A-ShotgunxXx: You are so observant, gah!(: I am super happy to have you as a reviewer, though. The pack, I think, will be one of the most surprising bits about this story, and hopefully extremely interesting. So far, I do not have any OC's in mind, except one small one, so the pack will be known. As for our other Curtis boys, who knows why they have no symptoms? Could be a scandal…could be supernatural…guess we'll just have to see… Thank you for your review! I enjoy your speculations(:**

 **kelsey01: Don't worry about your lack of Twilight knowledge. It really has very little to do with my story. The idea simply originated from the series, but that is where the inspiration begins and ends. Steve is the gang member I identify most with and I love exploring his character. The little story about his brother literallt wrote itself, and that is the main reason I loved the last chapter so much. It made a lot of sense to me. Thank you for your review!**

 **April (Guest): Yes, a bit more was revealed in the last chapter, but not nearly enough. We've only just scratched the surface. If Pony's ability is what you think it is, then I hope I don't disappoint! Thank you for your review!**

 **I would like to dedicate this chapter to my new friend and collaborator XxlillyWinstonxX.**

 **With love,**

 **Dagmaris**

 **Chapter 3**

 **MISSING PERSON:**

 **NAME: PONYBOY MICHAEL CURTIS, 14**

 **DESCRIPTION: 5'6, BROWN HAIR, GREEN EYES.**

 **LAST SEEN WEARING BLUE SWEATSHIRT AND JEANS. IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION REGARDING THE WEARBOUTS OF MR. CURTIS, PLEASE CONTACT DARRYL CURTIS, JR. AT…**

Soda trailed off reading the paper. He had probably read this section a thousand times in the past two weeks.

 _Two weeks._

Ponyboy had been gone for two whole weeks, and not a word had been heard from him. Not one damn word.

Soda threw the paper on the coffee table and rubbed his temples as he hunched over his knees. He looked up with bloodshot eyes and surveyed the room. It was still a mess from that day he had run all the way home, Steve on his heels, with one thought in mind: _Ponyboy can't be gone. He just can't be._

The cops were already leaving the house by the time Soda and Steve showed up, and, looking back on it, that made Soda even angrier. They couldn't have been there more than fifteen minutes by the time Soda got there, and already they were leaving. A break-in wasn't all that uncommon for that area, but you would think they would stick around for a missing kid.

They didn't though, and Soda ran up into the house anyway.

"Darry," he called into the living room, but he stopped short. The room was _wrecked._

The table was flipped and cracked, one leg broken off completely. The chair and the sofa were turned too, the sofa shredded to bits on one half. There was a huge dent in the wall, and looking through the kitchen, Soda could see that the backdoor was hanging precariously by one hinge. The screen was completely gone.

"Darry?," Soda called again, carefully stepping over through the wreckage. He heard Steve behind him. He had almost forgotten his buddy was there.

"Yeah," Darry answered just as Soda walked into the kitchen. It didn't look much better in there. A couple of cabinets were broken off, and broken glass from some of the dishes littered out from them. Darry stood amongst the wreckage with one hand on his hip and the other covering his eyes. Behind him, Steve's foot crunched on the glass.

"Darry, what in the hell happened, huh?," Soda demanded, already feeling emotion build up in his chest. He wasn't going to cry, though, not until he figured out what happened to his baby brother. Darry breathed out and finally looked at his brother. Soda was shocked to find his eldest brother's eyes red and his breathing hard. Darry wasn't crying, ut he was as close as Soda had ever seen him.

"I-I don't know," Darry got out. Soda swallowed roughly at his brother's bewilderment. He could feel Steve's presence behind and him and was grateful he was keeping quiet.

"I was only five minutes late, _five minutes,_ and then…", he trailed off and sighed deeply, exhaustion weighing heavy on his shoulders. Soda walked up and put an arm on his brother's shoulder. Darry leaned into it.

"What'd the cops say?," Steve finally spoke up. He was already sweeping up some of the glass as best he could. Steve was a good buddy.

"Shoot, a whole lotta nothing. They pretty much told me that Pony got mad, trashed the place, and ran out," Darry fumed. "I told 'em that Pony don't dig like that, but they didn't believe me. I'm a greaser, why would they?"

Darry was a lot of things, but he wasn't a greaser. He may live on the wrong side of the tracks, and work like a horse for a living, but he wasn't a greaser.

"So they aren't gonna do nothing?", Soda steamed. His baby brother was God knows where and the cops weren't even looking for him. Soda never hated being a greaser before, but he was starting to see Darry's point about it. If they were Socs, the police would be sending out every cop in town to find the kid.

Darry sighed. "They took a picture of him and got a description, but they told me the best thing to do was wait, that Pony would turn up eventually," Darry spat out his words, as if they were the filthiest thing he had ever said.

"Jesus," Steve said from the other side of the kitchen, his sweeping halted at the weight of the situation. Soda couldn't find the words to agree. He felt sick.

"So what then? We _wait?_ Look at this place, Darry! Pony didn't do this. Somebody was here with him, and I swear on my life they're the reason he's gone," Soda shouted, his frustration finally coming to fruition. Steve stared at his friend from the kitchen.

"Is he, though?," Steve asked.

"What?," Darry asked, as he lifted his head.

"Is the kid gone? I mean, did he even come home today? You said you were only five minutes late. Maybe the kid is just late. He could be at the lot as we speak," Steve argued, his face scrunched in contemplation. Soda and Darry looked at each other, hope not daring to creep in. Steve tried again.

"Let's look around first, find Dally, Two-Bit, and Johnny, see if they've seen him. Check the track, the movies, everywhere. If the cops ain't looking, we sure as hell can. Beats the shit outta sittin here, twiddling our thumbs," Steve explained. Darry and Soda nodded their heads. It made sense. Maybe Pony hadn't even been home.

Before the boys could head out, though, the slap of feet thundering up the front porch steps could be heard. The boys in the kitchen stood, tensed.

Just then, a certain tow headed hood strutted through the door, swagger halted as he surveyed the room. His cigarette hung limply in his mouth as he looked around.

"What the _fuck_ happened to this place?"

 **XXXXXXXXX**

That had been two weeks ago. The gang had looked everywhere that first afternoon, hoping beyond hope that the kid would walk through the door at any second.

He never did.

Ponyboy had been home that day, and he had gone missing. Taken, maybe. No one was sure. All they knew was that the youngest of the gang was gone and they had no clue where he was.

The police were of no only sign that they even knew something had happened was the piss poor missing person ad they had in the very back of the paper, small enough that most would miss it.

To top it all off, the morning after the break-in, a stern social worker had woken them up with her pounding on the door. The house had still been in shambles and she made her disapproval very apparent.

"Mr. Curtis, I hope you know that we are to be notified immediately if your brother should return. I'm afraid your shot is up. I have filled out an a formal request for Ponyboy to be removed from your care and placed in a state facility, if he is found. As for Sodapop, he is still under review," the social worker had said disdainfully, eyes judgmental and cold. Darry stood there, tall and intimidating, but no amount of intimidation was changing her mind. Even if they found Pony, they'd be separated form him just as quick.

Soda reflected on all of this as he went through the motions of getting ready for work.

Why couldn't they just get a break? Why did everything have to be so hard for them?

First, they lose both of their parents, and by default their childhood. Then, their baby goes missing? What kind of sick joke was this?

Soda had been asking himself the same questions for the past two weeks and he still didn't have an answer. Probably because their wasn't one.

Soda sighed deeply as he pulled on his shoes, the dreadful things he always put off to the end, and he stood. Just then, Darry walked in and stood just outside the door. Darry couldn't stand to walk into Pony and Soda's shared room, unlike Soda, who clung to it since Pony went missing.

"Come on, Pepsi. I'll drive you to work today," Darry said gently. He hadn't spoken above that tone in the past two weeks, and Soda wished he would yell, just once, to end the silence.

"Yeah, ok. Thanks Dare," Soda said as he pulled on his DX shirt and walked past Darry to get out of the room. Darry took one last look at the made up side of the bed, Pony's side, before he shut the door quietly.

He and Soda hopped in the truck and prepared to face another day without Ponyboy Curtis.

 **XXXXXXXXX**

His eyes squinted at the sun as he woke up that morning. It was bright and his eyes were sensitive.

He yawned and sighed when it ended in a loud whine. He had yet to get used to stuff like that.

Ponyboy stood and stretched deeply, muscles releasing their tensions from sleep. He sighed again, and winced once more when it came out more a wet huff. He had no idea how long it had been, but Ponyboy didn't think he could ever get used to, well, _this._

He shook it off and focused on the dryness of his mouth. He needed some water.

Ponyboy loped off, moving swiftly through the woods to the sound of trickling water, delicate and smooth.

He saw it, an interruption in the greenery, smooth as glass and reflective as a mirror. He weaved his way forward and made it to the water's edge. He leaned out over the surface, knowing exactly what he would see when he looked into the water. In all the time he had been out here, his reflection hadn't changed, and Ponyboy was beginning to believe it never would.

Because there, staring up at him from the water as foreign as ever, was a green eyed and russet colored wolf. Ponyboy blinked, and the wolf copied before the image was disrupted by a long pink tongue. Once he drank, Pony turned and ran as far as he could from the water, and as far as he could from himself.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I am so sorry for the lack of update. School started back and I was slammed, but hopefully I can start doing weekly updates!**

 **xXxAngel-With-A-ShotgunxXx: I'm so glad you enjoyed the last chapter! I am also glad that you don't know where I'm headed with this. You were getting scary accurate with your predictions! Concerning the eyes watching Pony…well, let's just say they may not be werewolf eyes. I also agree that Pony being the only male in the pack would be interesting, but alas, that won't work for this particular tale. It is definitely something someone should explore, though. Yes, Pony's werewolf status would tend to make the system null and void, but we shall see what is done about that. Pony is definitely about to be going through some major emotional changes due to his newfound ability. Also, remember that the concept of these werewolves are not exactly Twilight-verse. It's just inspired by Twilight-verse wolves. There will still be some surprising changes, I think.**

 **April: Yes, the pesky social workers always get in the way. Pity. And the transfer back to human is definitely #1 on Pony's list of priorities at the moment.**

 **XxlillyWinstonxX: I'm working on it ;)**

 **Chapter 4**

Ponyboy had no fucking clue what to do.

It had been well over a week, maybe even two, and nothing had changed. Not a damn thing.

Pony sighed, his furry chest rising heavily, as he flopped on the forest floor.

He really didn't even know where was, having paid no mind to the land around him when he ran, but he figured he was in the country. Windrixville, maybe. Nowhere near Tulsa would have woods this big for him to roam. And to think, this all started with a spoon.

A _spoon._

Ponyboy had walked home from school, something Darry would have flipped his lid about if he'd known, but Pony really couldn't bring it in himself to care. He was feeling awful, and the fresh air was soothing his aching mind and cooling his scorching skin. He didn't feel like being cooped up in Two-Bit's hunk of rust.

Glory, but he felt bad. Maybe, it was time to tell Darry and Soda about it. He wasn't getting better like he thought he would, and honestly, he couldn't take much more. He felt like he was _dying._

He would tell them. He decided as he walked up the familiar front porch steps and made his way into his house. It was quiet, and Pony frowned. Darry should have been there. He had specifically told Pony to be home at this time because he would be there to supervise Pony's homework. Pony had hauled ass from school to be here on time and Darry wasn't even _here?_

Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. Pony started shaking and his skin may as well have been a flame.

He stormed into the kitchen, looking for the note he would inevitably find with some excuse as to why he had to be there and Darry didn't. He didn't find one, though, and Pony paused. That was surprising. Maybe Darry was just running a bit late. Pony was a few minutes early now that he thought about it. He was getting angry over nothing.

Just like that, Pony's anger seeped away. His skin cooled and the tremors stopped. Pony breathed a sigh of relief as he slumped into the nearest chair. That was the worst spell he'd had yet. Pony sighed a again and rubbed his face. What on earth was wrong with him? Why couldn't he get a grip?

Pony stood up to get a glass of water, thinking it would help cool him off even more, when he slipped.

He didn't fall per se, but he skidded slightly on something hard and round on the floor. Pony braced himself on the kitchen sink and looked down.

There, on the stained and cracked linoleum floor, was a spoon. It was one of their spoons, well used and dated, and it was on the floor. Why was it on the floor? Who drops a spoon and just leaves it on the floor? How do you not know you've dropped a spoon?

Pony gripped the sink as he stared at the spoon, silver dulled with use, and he blinked.

Suddenly, the tremors erupted through his spine, rattling his bones and shaking his core. Pony felt shock course through him, but it was immediately followed by an unbearable heat that licked its way over the surface of his skin, like flames burning to his bones.

Ponyboy barely had time to think and the pain erupted and the heat hit its peak. He was going to die. He fell to the floor, a scream caught in his throat as he jerked and writhed. He was actually going to die.

Pony felt his body begin to give into the heat and the pain, something snapped. It was as if a great pressure that had been building gave way, an explosion of tension. Pony's breath rushed out, encasing that silent scream, only it was no longer a scream. It was howl.

His bones cracked and his skin cooled. The tremors stopped and Pony had to blink against sudden, blinding light. His heart was racing, but he was alive. He felt it. He was alive.

His body no longer felt confining. That unbearable pressure, that he was now certain had been building for weeks, was finally released. He was free.

That feeling only lasted for a moment, though, as Pony's senses came back to him. The light dimmed and he was able to see where he was. He was still on the floor, but something was different. Something wasn't right. He looked down.

His vision kept going in and out of focus, but he finally was able to see the kitchen floor clearly. His head spun slightly. What was that fabric ripped to shreds on the floor? Had that been there before?

Pony lifted his head slowly, as to not have it spin again, but he paused. His head felt _big_. He rolled his eyes upwards, as if he was going to try and look at it, but he huffed when he realized he obviously couldn't see it. He decided to walk the short distance to the bathroom and look in the mirror. Pony lifted himself slowly off the floor, only to fall back down clumsily. His feet felt heavy, and his hands weren't working.

Pony looked down at his traitorous limbs and paused. He blinked. Then he panicked.

 _What the fuck?!_

He had paws! He had fucking paws! Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit.

Pony scrambled to his feet, as if to run away from the furry legs, but the scrambled right with him and Pony wanted to cry. He jerked to the side, knocking over the table and into the cabinets. He thought he heard glass break, but he wasn't certain.

He tried to back away from the table, but he barely took a step before he hit the fridge. Glory, did he fit in the kitchen?

Pony tried to calm himself, lest he break another thing, but it was extremely difficult. He closed his eyes, and puffed breath through his nose. It came out as wet huffs, but Pony tried to ignore it. He needed to focus and get to the bathroom.

Pony opened his eyes and refrained from looking down. He walked slowly toward the bathroom, and tried his best not to notice that he brushed against both sides of the wall when he walked through. He made it to the bathroom door and stuck his head carefully in the door.

The lights in the bathroom were a bit brighter than in the kitchen, so Pony's eyes took another minute to adjust. He blinked and then he stared.

Staring back at him, with cola colored fur and hazy green eyes, was a wolf. A monstrous wolf. It's head was as big as the mirror itself, and its shoulders wouldn't even fit through the door facing. The wolf nearly brushed the ceiling, its head was so high. Pony turned his head slightly, and jumped when the wolf did the same, a low whine escaping his throat.

This was not happening. This was some sort of dream, a nightmare. He would wake up at any moment, Soda's arms around him and the door banging open signaling the arrival of the gang. Yeah, this was a dream.

Pony plopped down on his haunches and waited to wake up. Only, he didn't. He shook his head slowly in disbelief. No way. No fucking way.

Just then, Pony's ears perked. A familiar noise stood out around the others he found he could hear. Kids playing in the lot. Mrs. Vernon, the nest door neighbor, and her afternoon television watching. The light that buzzed softly in the kitchen. And Darry's truck rumbling down the street.

No, no, no, no. Darry can't see this, no way. Pony stood up sharply, his back hitting the wall and leaving a dent. He scrambled into the living room, knocking over Darry's chair and the table. He put his front paws on the couch and looked out the window. Darry was pulling into the drive way, his truck leaving a trail of dust in its wake.

Pony scrambled backwards, ripping the couch and breaking a leg off the table. He turned, a saw the back door. He turned and darted, fast as the wind, and broke through the door. He galloped, breathing fast and hard, as far as he could. As far away from the house as could get. As far away from Tulsa as he could get.

That was at least two weeks ago and Pony was still as lost as he was that first day. The edges of depression began to fill his mind as he came to the conclusion that he may never see his brothers again. Large tears the size of baseballs leaked from the corner of his eye and hit the forest floor.

He was so lonely. He had had no human contact in weeks and it was starting to wear on him. He wanted to hear a voice other than his own consciousness.

The only solace he found was in sleep. At least then he could dream. He could dream that he was home, safe, with his brothers and the gang. He could be doing homework while Soda, Steve, and Two-Bit played a rowdy game of cards. Darry would be reading the paper as Johnny and Dally walked in, Dallas boldly claiming he needed to hunt some action. Darry would roll his eyes when Pony offered to go with him, but he would let him. Just this once.

Pony drifted as he thought about his family, the pleasant memories taking the edge off like a cigarette. Glory, but he wished he could smoke a cigarette!

As Pony drifted, his body lax and relenting, three things happened.

First, the forest went silent. The birds stopped chirping and the crickets stopped singing. Pony noticed and lifted his head, ears alert and nose twitching. Something wasn't right.

Second, the silence was startlingly disrupted by what sounded like a herd of elephants trampling through the woods. Branches cracked and leaves flew. Pony stood on his haunches, instinct taking over as he growled and protected his flank.

Third, a black mass darted right in front of Pony and knocked into the tree in front of him. The mass writhed, disoriented by the hit probably, as it snarled and whimpered. Pony was confused, but didn't let his guard down. From what he could tell, this thing was close to his size.

Suddenly, the mass stopped moving. It laid there, breathing heavily and whining. Pony circled around it, sure that it hadn't noticed him just yet. It was awfully still.

Pony didn't know what to do. Should he investigate it more? Wait until it ran off? So far, he was hidden in the shadows of the sunset and the trees. He was safe. Maybe he should just leave…

Unfortunately, Pony never got the chance to decide. Suddenly, the mass sprung up and darted at Pony, its large body slamming into his and catching him off guard. He hit the ground, the decidedly furry creature on top of him and his breath came out in a _whoosh._

They rolled down the short incline, bodies entangling and thrashing. Pony had a bit of advantage on this creature, seeing as how he was bigger, but the other was fast. Pony snarled as it slipped just out of reach when he tried to get his teeth around its neck. He huffed as the creature skidded back a bit, realizing there was no way it could win, even with the speed and surprise advantage.

Pony took this time to look at the creature, speculating if it would attack again, and also for plain curiosity. Pony hadn't seen an animal in these woods that could match him and he was intrigued.

The creature's head was hung, almost in submission, but Pony wasn't fooled. He knew this thing was a tricky bastard.

Pony ducked his head to look at the creature's face. The creature breathed heavy and quick. Pony growled low, a warning and an invitation all in one.

Slowly, the creature raised his head and Pony felt surprise course through him.

He was looking at a very large, very dark, wolf. Pony blinked as the wolf's eyes filled with surprise as it appraised him. Obviously, he was not what the creature had expected, either.

The eyes were striking blue, deep and rich. Those eyes. Pony knew those eyes.

" _Bitchnuts."_

Pony shook his head violently. He just heard a voice. A familiar voice, that wasn't his, but was _in his head._

 _Bitchnuts, indeed._

 **XXXXXXXXX**

"Darry!", Dallas Winston's voice boomed through the Curtis house. Soda and Steve paused their half-hearted card game and Darry looked away from where had been absentmindedly watching television. It was a sad imitation of what their nights usually consisted of, but with Pony missing, there was no point in acknowledging it.

"Yeah?", Darry asked. Dally plopped himself down on the couch. He lit up a cigarette and Darry didn't have the energy to tell him to take it outside.

"I got some news that might interest you," he said through the smoke. The sound a chair scraping in the kitchen distracted them as Soda came darting in.

"Is it about Ponyboy? Dammit Dally, what do you know?," Soda demanded as Steve put a hand on his arm in warning. Dallas looked at him sharply and Darry almost intervened.

"If you would fucking listen, dip shit, then you would hear what I'm trying to fucking say," Dally shot out as he puffed his cigarette more.

"It ain't really about the kid, glory I wish it were, but it is interesting", Dallas said, cooling down at the mention of Ponyboy. He knew they missed the kid something awful, so he would forgive them for the outburst. Just this once.

"Jesus Dal, if we wanted some crock we'd go and find Two-Bit," Steve snarked and Dallas shot up form his chair. He'd had enough.

"It ain't crock, you fucker, it's fucking news, alright?," Dallas yelled as he took a step towards Steve. Darry finally stood between them.

"You two, shut your traps. Dally, you tell me what in the hell is going on," Darry demanded. Dallas gritted his teeth before he answered.

"Someone else went missing, same set up as Pony. Heard it at Buck's this morning," Dallas said tensely, eyes on Darry and refusing to look anywhere else.

"When? Where?," Soda asked, excited to have something, even as little as this, to go off of.

"Last night at The Dingo. Guy was there, walked outside, said he didn't feel good. His buddies heard a scuffle a few minutes later, but when they went to help, he was gone. Vanished. They haven't seen him since." Dally sat back down as he let the others in the room process what he had just said. He took that time to light another cancer stick.

"Wait, who was it?"

"Huh?"

"The guy who went missing. Who was it?"

Dallas grinned grimly, a look in his eye that they had never seen before. It bordered on fear.

"Yeah. I guess I left out the interesting part," he said with a grim chuckle. His next words were framed in a cloud of cigarette smoke. "It was Curly Shepard."


End file.
